Ernest di Giovanni's Audio Memoirs

6 - Childhood Memories

5 - Family History

The Navy Overview

Not Ready

The Paramount

1 - The Window at the Greek Deli

Ah, we used to rent a house in the Hamptons, West Hampton Beach, specifically. Myself, my buddy Chuck, and my buddy Fred. And, uh, we’d go out there from April 1 to October 1 and carry on like crazy people. But anyway, this one — we always went to the Bath and Tennis club, and that’s where we would, ah, imbibe, and, if you will, pick up ladies.
This one night, Chuck, who was a wonderful, notorious drunk, got imbibed — imbibed too much too soon, and so we thought we’d get him some food. It was only about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, that’s too soon. So anyway, we always would have these big beautiful white stretch Lincolns, which, see, one story goes into another, which were provided by —
Freddie was in the garment center, and his company was called “My Way,” of course in honor of Sinatra, and I shouldn’t mention names but I will, Louie Stromberg was the behind-the-scenes financier of My Way. Louie had, eh, “connections” to, how shall I put it, disorganized crime? But anyway, I’ll save that for another story, but let’s get back to this story.
And we’d always wreck them, by one means or another. Any way, Chuck couldn’t — never learned how to drive, and besides which he was passed out in the back seat, Freddie was drunker than I was, so he got in the passenger seat, and that left just me, and my God I’m not the best driver, even sober. Hey, we were all Manhattanites, so we weren’t that good.
And we used to go to a Greek Diner sometimes, for after hours food, and it was ground level, and there was this big front of, of glass, and you looked right into the restaurant. Just a small little — small little, uh, piece of wood, if you would, that reminded you to stop the car, you’re in the parking lot. But I was too inebriated to pay attention to a piece of wood. So this big plate glass window in front of me, and wouldn’t you know it, I just kept driving, and tinkle tinkle, the place was crowded, the people started screaming, ‘cause the car went into the plate glass window.
And Starvos the owner came out screaming and yelling, and my remark to Starvos was, “Hey Starvos, can we have the front row table?” or the front end table. Can you imagine that? With all that meshugass, I’m saying “Can we have the front end table?”
And when the police were called, my good friend Lieutenant Doyle said, “di Giovanni, I knew you’d be involved in this!”
Talk to you later.